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The gorilla has left the building. Finally, I can breathe, the cough no longer makes my lungs turn inside out. Great commute today, fast pace and a show in my ears, I keep thinking an ear candle may even the ledger, gummy as they are. Breathing is nice. Bikes cloud all my thoughts right now. Set ups, tire pressures, chain tensions, whatever variable I have control over is in my head. Rest is paramount to work right now, I continue on my path out of the swamp that was my lungs for two weeks.

Up and down

I guess for the few people who care how this whole thing is materializing I am now on Chinamen's herbs, is that the proper nomenclature? Minor Bupleurum Formula, so far it feels like it might actually be working. Who knows. The cough is only a late day, early morning occurrence and Wah offered up a ride home, rest is key, my body is fighting and maybe tomorrow I'll let some guy stick me with needles to get it the rest of the way out. Meanwhile the phlegm rules the breathing. Racing may be on hold for another few days, two weeks in the hole and I need to get the shit out. The beautiful race is approaching, I need to go in clear and focused. Ready?

Oil

This is getting closer, ready? I am losing the fight, it's been almost two weeks and the crap just won't leave, it sits on my chest and in my head and keeps me from doing pretty much anything constructive. I feel like I'm riding through motor oil, slipping sometimes and gliding others, not a full on breakdown but more of a constant drag, maybe I need to try for the antibiotics but they wreck me. Whatever the bear is still visiting the neighborhood nightly, amazing my asshole neighbors can't get their trash cans put away. Hey, look on the bright side, I didn't get fired by Rabobank yesterday.

Bigger

I know my volume is down this past week because of the sickness but do I look like this? I hope not. I wondered where the Lampre climbers have been in the tour but overall the sprinters have been going well. I kind of feel somewhere between this guy and my cat.

Tour

Another one gets caught. Whatever, he was faster then the other guys two days out of three, I respect that. I wish I could be faster then the other guys two days out of three. My love of the sport isn't wavering one bit. Unreal to watch the attacking style and the reeling of the contender as he takes another hit, only to return to the front. Cool. The gorilla isn't just laying on my chest right now, he sort of dances a bit them gets off of it for a while. When he sits back down I get nasty cough and realize he's home. When he leaves it's more subtle. Mucinex isn't doing the job I need it to. I work at loosening it up but it doesn't really do the work I need it to.

Some cheese with that?

That gorilla doesn't seem to want to leave my chest, he just sits there all damn day. I coughed up a cookie today that looked old, old? Can a sick week be a rest week? I think I need to get over the ague and then take a break. The tour has been good, no cleaner or dirtier than any other year, enough on that. I have the tools in my pocket now, no reason to not be out there, other than the primate relaxing on my thorax. Maybe go to the sauna see if I can sweat it out of my system. A sea change to restart my fitness instead of the blue birds chirping around my head as I try to walk/ride through the haze of a mid-summer cold. Holding a conversation with my silverback as he wheezes another breath out of my strained lungs. I'm not believing what he says though, I have the keys, he doesn't have the locks. The bear at my house yesterday was the largest creature, except maybe the moose from May or June, I have seen outside a zoo. Bigger than my silverback staring at me as I type this. Slowly lowering my O2 and making me sleepy. My own fault. Feed.

Copper

Somehow the 400 pound gorilla got off my chest enough to allow me to race. I get the fact that the legs aren't aware what the chest is doing but overall expectation was low. Ski area races are hard rigid but with the new tires I felt good. No hand pump until the bottom of the descent, both times, added to this the ergons helped as well, hands back on the wings gave me the suspension I needed to roll the descent. Mellow start and then road kicked up as the pace did too, I managed to catch Jared in a bit less than 6 minutes to earn another bearclaw, my pious-ness lately is paying off, I shouldn't have been able to ride well but the legs and lungs were friendly for long enough to finish. Avoiding the pitfalls and fat this week has helped deal with the sick that lingers but doesn't hobble. Summit Daily News article here.

Huh?

Food poisoning, allergies or whatever it is that won't leave my system has me questioning the food, air or whatever could make me sicker. Pounding fluids and calories to get my strength back isn't getting my strength back. The longer it lingers the more I feel hobbled, the bike laughs at me when I walk past. Chuckling quietly that it is healthy and I am not. If the 400 pound gorilla leaves his resting place on my chest maybe I can open up a bit, not likely today, we'll see what happens tomorrow. I feel tired and groggy and see starbursts and tracers a lot, maybe allergens and drugs are one and the same, I'll try the anti-drug tonight I think, Claritin. Maybe that'll help. What is it that Petacchi took? Salbutamol? Mmmmm some of that too.

Swine

The power of pig, I had swine for breakfast today then got on the bike and rode pretty well, Wednesday I managed two consecutive meals with the power of the holy swine and I went fast in that test too. What is it? Am I lacking in nitrates or nitrites or whatever? The FDA is trying to protect us from ourselves, what about a little bit of moderation? WTF? Skip a meal, eat light sometimes, enjoy being hungry for a few hours because you earned it. Not just stuffing your hole with the next fatty-fat snack. The new tyres are sweet, rocking fresh rubber is always a motivator. They set perfectly and hooked up too.

More

Putting it out to the trails and getting back more than I ever thought I could. The Ferrous 29 glide of the wheels where there shouldn't be glide, flow in places that stop rhythm. I hear the trees and the beetles that are eating them. Lowest pressures I have ever ridden barely noticing that I haven't had suspension in years. Supplies are good, fat tyres to roll through the rocks and roots. Experiment with the new technology and ride it farther than I thought low could go. My head is altogether in the woods, lines appear, then reappear in another. Fresh carbon underfoot, new era Alpin 10/2 time began last night. Stiff and secure, rolling solid. Ghosts follow through the woods, get too close to my ears, blocking out the din in favor of focus, trading failed effort for useful. Listening for the ghost to falter and give me the advantage and get out of the way to see the keys clearly placed in the locks. Always looking for the perfect line. No shortcuts, just cleaner ways to finish up.